.jpg "Pegnuins-at-Kings-(NBCSN)")
The Los Angeles Kings will look to break a four-game losing streak, as they host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night on NBCSN. The Kings still boast the top defense in the league, but in their last four games they have allowed four goals per game. They will get a test on Thursday against a Pittsburgh team that features three of the top 15 scorers in the league in Phil Kessel, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.
At 10 p.m. ET, tune into NBCSN for live television coverage of this NHL game on Thursday, January 18, 2018 at Staples Center.
We'll have NHL odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NHL Thursday schedule.
Odds Analysis
The Penguins will be playing with no rest, as they were in Anaheim on Wednesday night. The Kings should be listed as a slight home favorite, with the total at 5.5. The Penguins recently got Matt Murray back, as he was on personal leave. Pittsburgh has gotten solid goaltending this season from Murray and backup Tristan Jarry. Murray leads the team in wins but Jarry has the better goals against at 2.33. Since this is a back-to-back, the goaltender that doesn’t play Wednesday will probably get the start on Thursday.
The Penguins were just 9-14 in their first 23 road games, with 11 going over, 11 going under, with one push. They are scoring 2.9 goals per game and giving up 3 per contest.
The Kings come into this game having lost four straight and they are now in danger of falling out of the top three in the Pacific Division. Head coach John Stevens tried to motivate his team on Monday but the Kings played poorly in a 4-1 loss to San Jose. The team was booed off the ice after the game was over. Stevens said after the game that things have to change. “We're honest with ourselves. … We all need to be a lot better."
The Kings played backup Darcy Kuemper in goal on Monday, so there is no doubt it will be Jonathan Quick back in goal on Thursday. Stevens said Kuemper played well on Monday. "Our goalie gave us a chance to win tonight."
The Kings are 11-11 at home with 10 games going over and 12 going under. They are scoring 2.9 goals per game and giving up 2.4 per contest.
Special Teams
This should be an interesting matchup, as the Penguins have the top power play in the league at 26.5%, while the Kings have the top penalty killing unit at 87.1%. The Penguins are 10th in penalty killing, while the Kings are just 24th on the power play.
Key Stat
It has been all Kings of late in this series, as they have won the last four meetings, with the last two going under. The Kings have won six of the last ten at home in this series, including the last two, with two of the three going under the total.
Free NHL Picks
One factor to keep in mind in this game is that the Penguins are playing with no rest, but they didn’t have to travel, as Wednesday’s game was in Anaheim. Pittsburgh was awful early in the season playing with no rest, as they lost their first six games playing with no rest, but they have been better of late, winning their last four in that situation. Another interesting fact is that 7 of the last 10 games for the Penguins playing with no rest have gone over the total.
I think the Kings will be highly motivated to end their losing streak, especially since they have had two days to think about the poor effort on Monday against the Sharks. I will take the Kings and also play the game to go over the total.
NHL Odds: Kings 4, Penguins 2
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
